Ethan Clarke
Plastic is everywhere, from milk cartons to water bottles, and its production is intertwined with oil demand. While it is possible to make plastic from vegetable oil, bioplastics, or even veggie oil, the majority of plastic is still made from fossil fuels. This process starts with crude oil, which is pumped from underground and transported to refineries. Through a process called steam cracking, the crude oil is heated and pressurised to separate hydrocarbons, which are then broken down into smaller units and reconstituted into new formations to create plastic. However, this process is not environmentally friendly, and alternative methods for producing oil from plastic, such as pyrolysis, are being explored.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Process | Pyrolysis, steam cracking |
| Input | Plastic, crude oil |
| Output | Oil, gasoline, kerosene, diesel, benzene, toluene, xylene |
| Benefits | Does not generate harmful pollutants, by-products can be used as fuel |
| Drawbacks | Requires high temperatures, energy-intensive |
| Alternatives | Bioplastics, bio-based plastics, vegetable oil |
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What You'll Learn
Plastic production from crude oil
Crude oil is a source of raw material for making plastics, but it is not the major source of feedstock for plastics production in the United States. Plastics are also produced from natural gas and feedstocks derived from natural gas processing and crude oil refining. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) is unable to determine the specific amounts or origins of the feedstocks used to manufacture plastics in the United States. However, the EIA predicts that plastics will make up nearly 50% of oil demand by the 2050s.
The process of making plastic from crude oil begins with extracting the oil from underground reserves using drills and pumps. The oil is then transported through pipelines to refineries, where it is heated to a temperature of 600-750 degrees Fahrenheit and distilled. This distillation process separates the hydrocarbons in the oil, which are the raw materials for plastic, into different groups based on their molecular weight. The separated hydrocarbons are then fed into a distillation tube.
One method of breaking down the hydrocarbons into smaller units is through a process called "steam cracking," which involves applying high heat and pressure in a zero-oxygen environment. This process breaks down the hydrocarbons into shorter molecules called monomers, such as ethylene and propylene. These monomers are then used to create polymers such as polyethylene and polypropylene, which are the most common and widely produced polymers on Earth.
The final steps in plastic production involve combining, melting, and blending different blends of materials to create different types of plastic. The most common types of plastic include PET (polyethylene terephthalate) and HDPE (high-density polyethylene). These plastics are then used to create a wide range of products, from milk cartons and water bottles to plastic wrappers and shopping bags.
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Steam cracking
One of the challenges of using steam cracking for plastic waste recycling is the presence of contaminants in the feedstock. Pyrolysis oils produced from plastic waste often contain higher levels of contaminants such as nitrogen, oxygen, chlorine, metals, and other impurities. These contaminants can affect the feasibility of using these oils as feedstocks for steam cracking and can lead to increased coke formation during the process.
To address the issue of contaminants, upgrading processes, such as hydrogen-based technologies and pre-treatment methods like dehalogenation, can be employed to meet the industrial specifications for steam cracker feedstocks. Additionally, the use of blending ratios with contaminant-free fossil feedstocks, such as naphtha, can be utilized to improve the quality of the feedstock.
Overall, steam cracking of plastic waste pyrolysis oils shows potential for advancing plastic waste recycling and closing the loop between petrochemical production and waste management. However, further research and development are needed to optimize the process and address the challenges posed by contaminants and operational risks.
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Bioplastics
Historically, bioplastics made from natural materials like shellac or cellulose were the first plastics. However, since the end of the 19th century, they have been superseded by fossil-fuel plastics derived from petroleum or natural gas. Today, in the context of the bio-economy and circular economy, bioplastics are gaining interest again. Conventional petro-based polymers are increasingly blended with bioplastics to manufacture "bio-attributed" or "mass-balanced" plastic products.
The environmental impact of bioplastics is often debated, as there are many different metrics for "greenness", such as water use, energy use, deforestation, and biodegradation. Some bioplastics can be made with a lower carbon footprint than their fossil counterparts, for example, when biomass is used as raw material and also for energy production. However, other bioplastics' processes are less efficient and result in a higher carbon footprint than fossil plastics.
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Vegetable oil as an alternative
While crude oil is a source of raw material for making plastics, it is not the only source. Natural gas and its derivatives are also used as feedstock for plastic production.
However, the use of oil in plastic production is a significant driver of the oil industry's demand. This has led to a search for alternative methods of producing plastics, including the use of vegetable oil.
Techniques for producing plastic from vegetable oil have been developed by researchers and startups, such as Catapower, a startup led by postdoctoral student Zhiyao Lu. Catapower designed a molecular robot that turns vegetable oil into biodegradable plastic. The team behind this innovation was recognised with the 2018 Wrigley Sustainability Prize and selected for the National Science Foundation Innovation Corps program.
The use of vegetable oil in plastic production offers an alternative to the environmental concerns associated with the use of crude oil, such as the enormous contributions of plastic waste to the filling of our oceans and the rise of greenhouse gases. However, the production of vegetable oil also has its own environmental concerns, including deforestation, water and soil pollution, and the emission of greenhouse gases.
The use of vegetable oil in plastic production is an example of bioplastics, which are made either fully or partially from resources like the sugars in plants such as corn, beets, or potatoes. However, the "bioplastics" label does not guarantee that a plastic item is completely free from fossil fuels, and bioplastics are also vulnerable to heat and water.
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Pyrolysis
The pyrolysis process can be applied to a variety of plastic types, such as polyethylene, polystyrene, and polyvinyl chloride (PVC). It can also handle residues with high Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) and PVC content, which can be blended with municipal solid waste plastic. The Sapporo Plastic Recycling (SPR) plant in Japan, for example, mixes plastics from municipal solid waste with waste from other recycling processes. The main products of pyrolysis are light oil, medium oil, heavy oil, and sludge.
However, pyrolysis is not without its limitations and critics. While it provides a second life for plastic waste, the process of converting plastic back into fuel produces carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. As such, it only reduces emissions at the supplier level, not the consumer level. Furthermore, pyrolysis is not a perfect science, and the infrastructure required to utilize pyrolysis oil may delay the necessary overhaul of our energy system.
Despite these criticisms, pyrolysis has gained significant attention globally, with several processing plants in operation. For instance, the RT7000 plant can recycle 7,000 tonnes of plastic waste, including polystyrene and flexible packaging, to produce 5,250 tonnes of oil for export and local use.
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Frequently asked questions
The first step is to identify the source of oil and drill holes through rocks to extract the oil.
The oil is then pumped from underground to the surface and transported to an oil refinery.
The oil is heated in a furnace to separate the hydrocarbons, which are then fed into a distillation tube.
Hydrocarbons are compounds made from combinations of carbon and hydrogen atoms that form chains of varying lengths, giving them different properties.
The hydrocarbons are broken down into smaller units and reconstituted into new formations to create plastic.
